NEW SINGLE – “Sunrise Tells the Story”
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Mark Wystrach of Midland returns to the big screen this Friday in the new movie, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, based on the true story of controversial televangelists Tammy Faye Bakker played by Jessica Chastain and Jim Bakker played by Andrew Garfield. “I play a character named Gary Paxton,” Mark explains, “who is kind of a little known, very large character in the music world. He had very young success in his career as a artist and as a songwriter. I guess he’s best known for producing and writing that song called ‘Monster Mash,’ and probably even better known for ending up being Tammy Faye Bakker‘s producer on multiple albums of hers that were recorded at their compound out in North Carolina.”
Mark enjoys the experience of getting to step into playing someone else, but he admits it was humbling and a little daunting in The Eyes of Tammy Faye because of the caliber of people he was working with. “When you get to (act) with some of the most talented people that are out there in the entire world,” says Mark, “people like Michael Showalter, who’s an incredible writer and director and comedian and actor in his own right, and guys like Andrew Garfield and Jessica Chastain – you find yourself suddenly, in the back of your head saying, ‘Wow, I’m the only person in this room right now on the set without an Academy Award. And that could be intimidating or you can just jump in and have fun. And it was really easy with Jessica and Andrew and Michael. They’re so gracious and so easy to work with that you just kinda jump in and go with the flow, and you just kind of swim in the river.”
Mark believes The Eyes of Tammy Faye will give people a chance to go beyond the scandal of Tammy Faye Bakker and perhaps gain a new understanding of her as a human being. “I think it is a really interesting story to be told 30-some years later,” he says, “which was a story that was incredibly popular – not for great reasons – when I was a kid. But you dive in deeper, which is what is always great about art, is it takes a deeper look and a deeper dive into the characters and the stories that you kind of think you may know. But there’s always humanity and the good and the bad, and I think Tammy Faye Bakker‘s legacy will be altered for a lot of people in a great way because of this film.”
The Eyes of Tammy Faye premieres in theaters this Friday, 9/17, and Mark says, “It’s very entertaining and it’s very weird in the best way, and it was just an honor to be part of it.”
Midland – Mark character in movie :27
“I play a character named Gary Paxton, who is kind of a little known, very large character in the music world. He had very young success in his career as a artist and as a songwriter. I guess he’s best known for producing and writing that song called ‘Monster Mash,’ and probably even better known for ending up being Tammy Faye Baker‘s producer on multiple albums of hers that were recorded at their compound out in North Carolina.”
Midland – Mark experience on set :48
“The fun thing about acting is you get to step out of yourself and you become somebody else. And it’s a weird but strangely exhilarating experience, and when you get to do that with some of the most talented people that are out there in the entire world – people like Michael Showalter, who’s an incredible writer and director and comedian and actor in his own right, and guys like Andrew Garfield and Jessica Chastain – you find yourself suddenly, in the back of your head saying, ‘Wow, I’m the only person in this room right now on the set without an Academy Award. And that could be intimidating or you can just jump in and have fun. And it was really easy with Jessica and Andrew and Michael. They’re so gracious and so easy to work with that you just kinda jump in and go with the flow, and you just kind of swim in the river. And it was a blast, an amazing experience.”
Midland – Mark thoughts on movie :44
“I think the film, which I’ve had a chance to see, turned out brilliantly. I think it is a really interesting story to be told 30 some years later, which was a story that was incredibly popular – not for great reasons – when I was a kid. But you dive in deeper, which is what is always great about art, is it takes a deeper look and a deeper dive into the characters and the stories that you kind of think you may know. But there’s always humanity and the good and the bad, and I think Tammy Faye Bakker‘s legacy will be altered for a lot of people in a great way because of this film. It does show the humanity of these people that were caught up in this crazy, strange world that was kind of self-created. But it’s very entertaining and it’s very weird in the best way, and it was just an honor to be part of it.”